


The Stone Cord

by MakutaMatata



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21550201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakutaMatata/pseuds/MakutaMatata
Summary: As the Toa Inika descend the Stone Cord from Voya Nui into the depths of the Pit, they find themselves wondering what could possibly await them at their destination. Little do they know, their enemy is already upon them....This story is meant to take place between Bionicle Legends #6 and #7, since this was touched upon in the Bionicle Encyclopedia but never even mentioned anywhere else, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

In the depths of the black water surrounding Mahri Nui, all was still. Not a living thing stirred. Even the currents of the water were unsettlingly gentle. In a place as inhospitable as the sea floor, peace was a rarity. The armies of the Barraki, six great warlords who had been banished to the depths of the pit in exile, had recently swept through the area, annihilating everything in their path. All that remained was a watery graveyard. If any living being was there themselves, they would have found this eerie, perhaps even unnerving. For out of the corner of their eye, they would see a fleeting movement, but a glance over their shoulder would reveal nothing but the same black depths of the pit. Something sinister stirred, but one with an untrained eye would easily miss it. 

It was a wisp of a green, gaseous substance. From a distance, it would seem harmless, perhaps toxic at worst, but any contact with it would reveal it’s true form as a malice beyond evil. One that was below even banishment to the pit that the prisoners contained within could not even hope to achieve. 

The emerald wisp had a name: Teridax, the Makuta of Metru Nui. The ancient being was the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, a race of beings that had long since evolved past the need for a physical form. Of course, being in this state left him vulnerable to attack, but he had no choice but to endure after his most recent defeat. 

The leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta was far from Metru Nui now. To anyone observing, it would seem that he was wandering aimlessly. 

Teridax, of course, knew better. 

As the green gas known as antidermis darted this way and that, sometimes being caught up in a sudden riptide and other times moving of its own volition, Teridax pondered what had come before. 1000 years ago, he, along with his fellow Makuta, carried out Teridax’s master plan to strike down the Great Spirit Mata Nui, the benevolent deity who encompassed the universe as it was known. As he expected, his plan succeeded. The virus that he infected Mata Nui with felled him, casting him into an endless slumber. With his slumber, tremors rocked the universe destroyed much that once was. On top of the city of Metru Nui being reduced to rubble, a portion of the Southern Continent rocketed out of it’s dome into the world above. This island, known as Voya Nui, unfortunately came to rest immediately above the jail known only as The Pit, where the most vile of criminals in the universe were banished to so they may repent for their crimes. Much to the mirth of the inmates, the Pit was also damaged when Mata Nui fell, allowing the inmates to escape into the mutagenic sea. 

Teridax had only recently learned of the cesspit that he was slithering his way through. It had been kept a secret from even the Makuta, but that was neither here nor there to him. 

Recently, the natives of Metru Nui returned back to their city and began to rebuild, a sure setback for Teridax’s plan, but still one he could work around. Once they arrived, the elders of the city made an alarming discovery that threatened to turn Teridax’s entire plan on its head. 

Mata Nui was not merely asleep. He was dying. 

_Far too soon..._ Teridax thought. 

Six Toa heroes, the Toa Inika, had been dispatched to Voya Nui to retrieve the legendary Mask of Life from the center of the island. This mask had the power to revive Mata Nui, and was the universe’s only hope for salvation. 

Teridax had no love for Mata Nui. That much was obvious to anyone who lived in the Matoran Universe. But if Mata Nui died, Teridax’s plan would assuredly fail. If the Great Spirit died, taking the universe with him, there would be no universe left for Teridax to preside over. For his plan to succeed, Mata Nui had to be brought back from the brink of death. 

At the moment, the six Toa Inika were descending through the stone cord from Voya Nui on the surface to the city beneath the waves, known to the Matoran there as Mahri Nui. These six Toa were the universe’s last hope, as they were in pursuit of the Mask of Life. Teridax knew that a loss on their watch would spell a certain doom not only for his plan, but for the entire universe. Failure was not an option. 

As much as it pained him to even consider the notion, Teridax knew that he would have to lend a helping hand to his longtime sworn enemy, the Toa. Disgusted with the situation he found himself in, Teridax’s antidermis shot towards the stone cord, already formulating a plan. 


	2. Chapter 2

“So let me get this straight,” said Kongu, Toa Inika of Air, “we’re all taking a deep-plunge into the ocean to go after the Mask of Life, which quick-escaped deeper into the water than even Hahli could swim, and we expect to somehow find the mask while deep-holding our breaths the entire time, and then we're going to bring it back to the surface and use it. Am I the only one who sees a few holes in this plan?”

The Toa Inika, six powerful heroes that originally hailed from the island city of Metru Nui, were descending through the stone cord linking Voya Nui on the surface to the land beneath the waves. A heavy sense of uncertainty hung over the group as they made their way into the darkness, unsure of what they would encounter in the depths below. 

Jaller, Toa Inika of Fire and the leader of the team, stopped short in his tracks and sighed. 

“Yeah, Kongu,” he replied. “This plan has a lot of holes. It’s barely even a plan, and honestly it would be a miracle if it works. But what choice do we have? We can’t exactly afford to waste time by sitting around Voya Nui to come up with something better. Mata Nui could die any day now, and any time we waste brings us closer to that deadline.”

Kongu fell silent. He knew Jaller was right, but he still couldn’t help but feel a looming sense of anxiety at their upcoming quest. All odds were stacked against them. 

“I don’t know, I think it could be fun,” piped in Hahli, Toa Inika of Water. 

“That’s because you’re a Toa of Water,” replied Hewkii, Toa Inika of Stone. “I think you all keep forgetting that I still can’t swim. That never stopped being a thing. I wasn’t joking the first twenty or so times that I said it, and Jaller still hasn’t told me I can go back to Voya Nui and wait for you guys there.”

Jaller chuckled under his breath. If nothing else, his team sure knew how to brighten up the mood. Not only did he choose the five most trustworthy Matoran from Metru Nui for this mission, but he also chose his best friends. Where other Toa teams before him had failed because they were strangers, the Inika acted as a functional team even before they became Toa. 

“Since we’re on the topic of holes in our plan,” added Nuparu, Toa Inika of Earth, “did we all forget that all of our elemental powers are laced with lightning? Lightning and water don't exactly mix well. We won’t be able to use our elemental powers very well, unless we want to become deep fried snacks for the fish… Or whatever else is down there.”

Matoro, Toa Inika of Ice, took up the rear of the group. He was barely listening to the conversation as they walked, for he was caught up in his own thoughts about what had recently come to pass.

Why had the Mask of Life vanished beneath the waves the moment they had it in their grasp? Where was it leading them, and why? And most importantly, why were Jaller and Kongu so insistent that he be the one to handle the mask directly? Did they know something he didn't? 

These questions plagued him as they trekked. In the heat of battle, he hadn't even stopped to consider them. Now that they had a moment's peace, he could dwell on his lingering questions, but inevitably not come to a conclusion. 

Hahli stole a glance over her shoulder. Matoro was usually quiet, but today he was being even more withdrawn than usual. She couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with her icy friend. 

As she gazed at him, she noticed a forlorn expression etched across his mask. Hahli always prided herself on being the most observant Toa on the team, and the Mask of Detection she wore only served to reinforce her assertion. 

Was he dwelling on the mission at hand? Or maybe the past? Or perhaps something else entirely? Back when they were Matoran living on the island of Mata Nui, Matoro acted as a translator and aide to Turaga Nuju, one of the elders of the island who spoke only in the tongue of Rahi beasts. The Turaga had many secrets that they kept among themselves for all those years, and by extension, so did Matoro. Hahli hoped he realized that his days as a translator were behind him, and that he no longer needed to keep everything to himself. 

“Matoro?” Hahli said, lowering her voice as she slowed down to walk beside him. “Everything okay? You seem lost in thought.”

The Toa of Ice seemed to snap out of his thoughts the moment Hahli communed with him. A smile crept across his face, and a gentle softness returned to his eyes. Although everyone on the team was a dear friend of his, he felt that Hahli understood him the best. Perhaps it was because their elements were both water-based, or maybe it was just in her nature. Either way, Matoro felt confiding in her to be natural. 

“Oh, um, yeah, I guess I am,” Matoro replied sheepishly. “I was just thinking about everything that happened back on Voya Nui. So much happened at once, and I didn’t even have time to process it until now. Plus, with so much uncertainty in what lies in wait for us during our next mission, there is a lot to consider.”

Hahli smiled gently at her teammate. Matoro always was the type to overthink everything. Not easily were Ko-Matoran swayed, and it wasn’t long ago that Matoro had been one himself. They were as stubborn and set in their ways as the ice itself. Hahli knew exactly how to deal with that. 

“Indeed, brother,” she replied, “there is much to consider for our future, and much to ponder on from the past. But regardless of all the uncertainty that lies ahead, or the trials we have overcome and what they all mean, time marches forward. Like it or not, we will soon arrive at the answer to all of your questions. After all, time is an element that no Toa, Piraka, Makuta, or any being can control. We are all victims to it the same.”

“Except Vakama,” Hewkii chimed in with a grin, who was walking nearby. 

Matoro tilted his head. A confused look was etched across Hahli’s mask as well. 

Seeing their perplexed expressions, Hewkii elaborated. “Mask of Time, remember? Vakama used it when he fought Makuta during the Great Rescue 1000 years ago.”

“Toa Tahu quick-used it against the Bohrok-Kal, too,” added Kongu, who seemed to practically materialize right beside them. “Way less than 1000 years ago, might I add.”

“And that guy Voporak,” added Nuparu, swivelling around and backpedalling to face his teammates. “You know, the one who chased Vakama all the way to Metru Nui because he could sense the Kanohi Vahi. Apparently he has a temporal field around him at all times. It’s pretty cool how that works, don’t you think?”

“You guys aren’t helping,” Hahli replied bluntly. 

Matoro laughed. His sister was wrong - Nuparu, Hewkii, and Kongu’s antics were proving to be the perfect distraction from his worries. Even Jaller had turned around to join in the tomfoolery. 

As their laughter echoed throughout the cavernous cord, Hahli stopped short. Her Kanohi Elda, the Mask of Detection, had suddenly alerted her to something up ahead. It was faint, but from the aura that her mask was projecting onto her, it was bad news. And worse, it was getting closer. 

She focused her gaze on the tunnel ahead, trying to make any shapes out with her eyes. Her friends' laughter seemed to be drowned out by the deafening silence that threatened to consume her. The darkness seemed to loom over her like a plague, and the walls seemed constricting, as if they were closing in around her. That unsettling feeling that she had felt before seemed to be amplified all of a sudden as she focused her mask power on the presence ahead. 

Jaller blinked, the smile slowly fading from his face when he noticed Hahli’s gaze intensely trained in front of her. He glanced in the direction that she was looking, but saw nothing. 

_Did she sense something with her mask?_ the Toa of Fire thought. 

He was about to chime in, but Hahli spoke before he could get the words out. 

“Brothers, something’s coming up the cord,” she said. 

The other four Toa stopped in their tracks. Their expressions of joy instantly melted into apprehension. Back when they were still Matoran, there was time to joke around and laugh, even when there was work to be done. Now that they were Toa, however, they could not afford to slip up. To do so could cost them their lives, or worse, the universe. 

“What is it?” Jaller asked. “What’s coming?”

Hahli shook her head. “I don’t know.”

The Toa of Ice suddenly remembered his mask power. His Kanohi Iden, the Mask of Spirit, allowed him to separate his spirit from his body, much like a ghost could. He could use it to scout ahead, and even possess other uninhabited forms. Unfortunately, it also left his body vulnerable, as it would become limp and spiritless. If there was any good time to use it, it was now, while his teammates were around. 

“I’ll go take a look,” Matoro announced. Before anyone could stop him, his body collapsed to the floor. 

“Great,” Jaller muttered, “he’s still doing that without warning.”

He turned to Hahli, who was kneeling beside Matoro’s now lifeless body. “Hahli, can you sense him?”

The Toa of Water shook her head forlornly. “I could for a moment, but he went too far ahead. I can’t detect him anymore.”

A worried expression crept across Jaller’s mask. He turned to face his other three companions. 

“Hewkii, Nuparu, hang back here and stand guard over Matoro’s body,” Jaller ordered. “Kongu and I will keep moving with Hahli until she can communicate with Matoro again. Once we know who or what is coming, Matoro will wake up and you can catch up to us. He'll know where we are, so he can lead you back to us.”

Hewkii and Nuparu nodded in agreement. Kongu joined Jaller and Hahli as they marched into the darkness ahead. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Nuparu turned to Hewkii with a sigh. “This plan just keeps getting worse and worse, huh?” 


	3. Chapter 3

Jaller, Hahli, and Kongu cautiously made their way through the darkness. The flames leaping from Jaller’s sword illuminated the way, but shadows danced where the dim glow could not reach. The path ahead of them was shrouded in blackness, and Kongu suddenly found himself wishing that he wore a Mask of Night Vision. 

“Do you feel-sense him yet, sister?” Kongu asked. 

Hahli shook her head distractedly as she continued to focus her power all around her. Tendrils of thought reached out and prodded the air, searching for any sign of Matoro’s spirit. 

When she first arrived on Voya Nui, she had very minimal control over her mask power. All she could sense was the location of the Mask of Life, which her mask presented to her by giving her a sharp headache when glancing in the general direction of their objective. As time went on, she learned to control her power and apply it through more complex means. Now she was finally getting used to her mask, and she silently hoped that she would not have to change to another one any time soon. 

Kongu leaned toward Jaller, who was leading the pack with his gleaming sword outstretched like a torch. 

“So, Jaller,” Toa Kongu began. 

Jaller turned his attention to his friend expectantly. 

Kongu continued to speak. “What do you suppose happens if we come mask to mask with our mysterious enemy before we find Matoro?”

“We still don’t know if they’re a friend or a foe, Kongu,” Jaller replied. Seeing Kongu’s skeptical expression, he continued. “Hey, you never know. They could be on our side.”

“Right, right,” Kongu said, noting the dark corruption that lingered over the tunnel and the menacing black water that surrounded them for kio and kio outside of stone wall around them. “Sounds ever-likely. And what if they’re not a friend? What then?”

Jaller looked forward once again with a determined look. 

“I guess we’ll find out.”

_____

The glowing green eyes behind the mask of Matoro Inika flickered to life. He blinked and glanced around, as if taking in his surroundings for the first time. After a moment, a grin spread across his face. 

As he stirred, Hewkii and Nuparu crowded around him and helped him back to his feet. If they thought Matoro was being oddly quiet, neither said anything. After all, Toa of Ice were usually quiet. 

“Who did you see?” Hewkii asked excitedly. He was clearly ready for some action after hours of walking. 

Matoro shook his head and cautiously spoke. “Just… some Rahi. Nothing we need to worry about.”

Nuparu shuddered, and it wasn’t just at the thought of what kind of Rahi would make their home down there. Something about his friend seemed off. It was as if an icy chill had crept into his voice, more than usual for a Toa of Ice. This was not the ice cold of the snow, but that of an absence of light. Although he spoke with Matoro’s voice, there was a newfound darkness in his voice. What could he have possibly seen down there?

Hewkii and Nuparu exchanged an apprehensive glance. It wasn’t just Nuparu who had sensed the subtle change in their friend. Neither of them were very close with Matoro, but even they could tell that something was wrong. 

“Do we wanna know what kind of Rahi live down here?” Nuparu hesitantly asked. 

“Zyglak,” Matoro replied bluntly. 

“Zyglak?” Nuparu repeated. 

Matoro nodded in affirmation. “Zyglak.”

Nuparu furrowed his eyebrows. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on where he had heard it. Maybe Turaga Whenua once mentioned them. After all, he was one of the most prominent archivists on Metru Nui. But if Nuparu, an Onu-Matoran, barely knew anything about them, how did Matoro recognize one on sight?

As if reading his mind, Matoro provided the answer to the burning question in Nuparu’s mind. “Turaga Whenua mentioned them at one of the Turaga’s councils. He even drew a diagram to show us what they looked like. That’s how I recognized it.”

Nuparu was only more confused now. Not only had Matoro seemingly read his mind, but his story seemed a little far fetched. It was hard to imagine something that specific coming up in the Turaga’s councils, but then again, he had never been to one himself. 

He and Hewkii exchanged another glance and shrugged. 

“At least they aren’t aggressive and dangerous,” Hewkii piped in. “That’s a nice change of pace.”

Matoro’s ensuing chuckle sent a chill down Hewkii’s spine. When he spoke, his whisper sounded like the hiss of acid eroding through stone. 

“Oh Hewkii, I never said they aren’t dangerous.”


	4. Chapter 4

Far ahead in the stone cord that seemed to stretch on forever, Hahli stopped short. Moments later, her two teammates halted as well. They quizzically observed the Toa of Water as her eyes frantically darted around the tunnel, as if searching for something that was not there. 

“What’s wrong, Hahli?” the red and gold-armored Toa of Fire asked. 

“It’s gone!” Hahli replied. “I can’t sense the presence anymore!”

“Matoro?” Jaller frantically asked. “Did something happen to him?”

Kongu shook his head. “She can still feel-sense Matoro, just very vaguely. It’s the dark-presence that’s approaching us that disappeared.”

Jaller was about to question how Kongu knew that, but then he remembered. Kongu wore the Kanohi Suletu, the Mask of Telepathy, allowing him to hear everyone’s thoughts. The only problem was that he could not turn it off. As a result, Kongu could constantly hear the thoughts of everyone around him. How it didn’t drive him mad, Jaller had no idea, but he always made sure to keep any negative thoughts that he may have entertained about Kongu from his mind, as he never knew when Kongu might accidentally hear them. Jaller prided himself on being the type that would tell someone any criticisms he had with them to their face, and that did not change when he became a Toa. 

“What could this mean?” Jaller asked his teammates.

Unsure, Hahli shook her head. 

“Maybe something even worse quick-reached it before we did,” Kongu suggested. 

Hahli seemed taken aback as the realization dawned on her. “But… what could have done that? And why?”

A heavy silence hung over the trio of Toa as they considered what could have happened. If Kongu was correct and something had killed or incapacitated the presence Hahli sensed, what was its next move? Was it on their side? Or was it even worse than any of the enemies they had faced so far? It was yet another uncertainty that hung over their head. But that didn’t matter to the leader of the Toa. After all, uncertainty was nothing they hadn’t overcome as a team before. They had no idea what would be lying in wait for them when they trekked to Voya Nui from their home, or even where they were headed at all, but in the end they overcame all the obstacles in their path and made it this far. As long as they continued to work together as a team and keep doing what they were doing, Jaller had no reason to believe things would turn out any differently this time around. 

Earlier, Hahli had told Matoro that there was only one way to find out what lay in store for them. As her wise words popped back into Jaller’s mind, he spoke. 

“Let’s continue to push forward,” he announced. “Like you told Matoro earlier, Hahli, there’s only one way to find out what lies in wait for us. Besides, we still haven’t found Matoro. Once we find him, we can regroup with Hewkii and Nuparu and be back at our full strength. Only together can we complete our mission.”

Hahli could help but break a smile at his remark. It hadn’t been long ago that he was the brave captain of the Ta-Koro guards on Mata Nui. She always knew Jaller to have a strong sense of duty, one of the three Matoran virtues, while the virtue of unity was often considered to be the strength of the Ga-Matoran. That Jaller was considering unity in such high regard only served to bolster’s Hahli’s confidence in his leadership. He had grown so much, not just as a leader, but as a Toa too. 

The trio pushed on further, nobody saying a word for minutes at a time. This clearly made Kongu uncomfortable, as both Jaller and Hahli could see that he was unable to stop fidgeting. They weren’t sure if it was because he could constantly sense everyone’s thoughts or if he simply had something he wanted to say. 

Deciding to indulge him, Hahli broke the silence. 

“Say, Kongu,” she said. “Why does your mask not allow you to read the thoughts of Matoro when he’s in spirit form?”

Kongu thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Probably because I can only loud-hear the thoughts of those I can clear-see. If they’re transparent, I can’t quick-read their mind.”

Hahli supposed that made sense. She expected there to be more to it, and was a little disappointed that her attempt at making conversation fizzled out so quickly. 

Her thoughts were cut short by a searing pain in her head. It was so intense that she keeled over and nearly fell to her knees. Kongu was the first to take notice, as the speed of Hahli’s thought suddenly spiked. 

“Sister?” the Toa of Air asked, rushing to her side. 

“What’s wrong?” Jaller asked, turning around and lowering himself to eye level with her. “Did you sense something?”

The Toa of Fire recalled that on Voya Nui, her mask would tell her when she was looking in the direction of the Mask of Life by giving her a searing headache. Jaller couldn’t help but think that whoever designed her mask should have given it a less painful mechanism, but all the same, her sharp pain meant that she had sensed something significant. 

Hahli rubbed her forehead and shook her head again, her eyes closed tightly. She winced as she began to speak. 

“I can’t tell what it was,” she replied, “but something just popped up out of nowhere. It was terribly evil, yet… somehow familiar. It disappeared after an instant, and I couldn’t tell who or what it was.”

Kongu and Jaller exchanged a worried glance. 

“Do I want to know?” Kongu asked. 

Jaller glanced around the tunnel apprehensively. Earlier, Kongu had warned him that there was evil in this tunnel. He had been skeptical at first, but Jaller was certain that his friend was correct now that Hahli sensed such a malevolent presence. 

They were not alone in the Stone Cord, and whatever was with them was not their friend. 


	5. Chapter 5

Hewkii and Nuparu were extremely unsettled. It was not because of sinister aura of the tunnel they were in, or the unknown danger that awaited them ahead. It was because their normally friendly teammate Matoro had said scarcely a word after his ominous message earlier. He simply trudged forward confidently, leading his two fellow Toa on what he claimed to be the safest path. The other Toa were waiting ahead, he had said. But something about him was off. For a Toa of Ice, Matoro was generally unusually warm towards his teammates. This was always something he differed from his frigid brethren on. Ever since he had returned to his body, though, he seemed to have changed. Everything he said sounded like a malicious hiss or a taunting growl. The ice in his voice was as frigid as shadow. On any normal day, the others would have thought he was just frustrated or in a bad mood. But there was one thing about Matoro that indicated otherwise, something sinister that his brothers found made them more nervous than anything else he was doing.

Matoro was grinning. 

After what felt like hours of silence, Nuparu decided to break the silence first. 

“So, Matoro,” he began, “what do you think we will find once we reach our destination?”

“Besides water, of course,” groaned Hewkii. 

The Toa of Ice thought for a moment. “I’ve heard legends from the Turaga back on Metru Nui. They spoke of a place where the most vile of criminals are sent, ones so terrible that there was no suitable punishment besides banishment.”

“And you think that’s down here?” asked Nuparu. 

Matoro simply nodded once. 

“Figures,” muttered Hewkii. “We just can’t catch a break, can we?”

Ignoring the Toa of Stone, Nuparu continued to speak. “What indicates to you that it’s down here? I mean, there’s no way the Turaga could have known exactly where it was. After all, they didn’t even know exactly where Voya Nui was when they sent the Toa Nuva on their quest. Logically, it just doesn’t make sense.”

Much to the uneasiness of Hewkii and Nuparu, Matoro turned to them and somehow grinned even wider than before. 

“Let’s just call it a hunch.”

_____

Eventually, the three Toa met back up with their teammates further down the tunnel. 

“Oh, you guys made it!” Jaller exclaimed upon seeing them. “We hadn’t heard from you, so we were starting to get a little worried.”

Hewkii laughed. “Worried? About us? Come on Jaller, do you know who you’re talking to?”

“Matoro, I didn’t even sense-” Hahli began. She wasn’t able to finish her sentence because the moment her eyes met Matoro’s, a splitting headache ripped through her skull. It was so powerful that she nearly lost her footing. Jaller blinked and rushed to Hahli’s aid. 

“Again?” he asked. “What could it be that you are sensing?”

Hahli barely heard the Toa of Fire. With a frown, she turned her gaze back to Matoro. This time, she was prepared for the searing pain associated with it. In response, Matoro did nothing but smile back at her. Hahli thought it was a little bit unsettling, and looking around at her friends, she could tell she wasn’t the only one. 

Suspicious, Hahli climbed back to her feet with the help of Jaller. She looked at the ground, the walls, Kongu, at anyone and everything except for Matoro. She needed a headache-free moment to think. 

“Matoro, what did you see up ahead?” asked Jaller. 

“Just some Rahi, apparently,” Hewkii chimed in. “Zyglak, he called them.”

“Zyglak?” Jaller repeated. “Never heard of them. Nuparu, did Turaga Whenua ever tell you anything about them? He must know something about them from when he was an archivist.”

Nuparu shook his head. “Matoro mentioned that Whenua mentioned had described them at one of their secret Turaga councils, but evidently he didn’t think they were important enough for me to know about. Then again, I’m an inventor, not an archivist.”

Jaller frowned. The same thought that Nuparu had flooded into his mind as well: how would Matoro be able to identify one on sight with such certainty if he had only just heard of them? Something didn’t seem right. 

“Are they dangerous?” Kongu asked. 

“Apparently,” Nuparu replied. 

“Wonderful,” Kongu muttered bitterly.

“We’d better be on our guard then,” Jaller said. 

Matoro nodded in affirmation. “That’s not all I saw.”

Nuparu tilted his head. “You didn’t mention that to us earlier.”

“I wanted to tell all of you guys together,” he replied. “You know, unity and whatnot.”

All of the Toa were extremely confused now. Unity was one of the three virtues that all Matoran, Toa, and Turaga lived by. For Matoro to speak of one of them so dismissively was suspicious, if not blasphemous. 

“Have you ever heard of the Barraki?” asked Matoro. All the Toa looked at one another and shrugged. 

“I didn’t expect you to have,” the Toa of Ice continued. “They’re ancient. Thousands of years ago, they were warlords who took over most of the universe and ruled it with an iron fist. Their armies were practically unstoppable. That is, until the Brotherhood of Makuta took them down. Somehow or another, they got banished for their crimes. And guess where they ended up?”

A heavy silence hung over the team. 

“They’re dangerous, they’ve got armies, and they have the Mask of Life. We'll need to be on our guard even after we’re finished with the Zyglak.”

“Did the Turaga tell you that too?” Nuparu questioned. 

Matoro laughed a laugh that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. 

“No, Nuparu,” he replied. “This was well before the Turaga’s time. I simply overheard them talking about their past, and I saw them fighting over the Mask of Life myself.”

As Matoro and Nuparu talked, Hahli leaned in towards Kongu and Jaller, who were standing a little ways away from their fellow Toa. 

“Kongu,” she whispered, loud enough that only he and Jaller could hear. “Reach out to Matoro’s mind. Tell me what he’s thinking. See if there’s something he’s hiding.”

Kongu nodded once, and then focused his mask power on Matoro. After a moment, he blinked. A look of confusion spread across his face. Once again, he tried to read Matoro’s mind, but as with the first time, he heard nothing at all. 

“That’s eerie-strange,” Kongu whispered in reply. “There’s nothing in there at all! Either his mind's defense-guarded, or there are no quick-thoughts going through his head at all. Almost like…”

Kongu trailed off. A look of horror spread across his face. 

“I think we’ve found our mysterious enemy,” Hahli affirmed. “Matoro must still be out there somewhere. The question is, where? And… if that's not Matoro, then who is it?”


	6. Chapter 6

Matoro’s spirit drifted about the Stone Cord. As much as it pained him to admit it, Jaller was right. He had acted a little recklessly by leaving his body without so much as a warning, and now he was lost. He supposed he had this coming. 

_I didn’t find anything up ahead_ , he thought. _Just more tunnel. I even went through the wall to see what was outside. Lots of water. I guess we’re not as close to the bottom as we thought._

If Matoro had a tangible form. He would have shrugged. It was way past time for him to get back his own body. Or, it would have been if he remembered the way back. 

_Maybe if I go outside the cord and follow it up_ , he thought. 

Even after doing that, jumping back into the Stone Cord only revealed more empty tunnel. Maybe if he went all the way back to Voya Nui and restarted? He could fly faster than even Nuparu could with his Kanohi Kadin, the Mask of Flight. But even then, it would take some time. Time was not something the Toa could afford to waste.

With the newfound determination in his head, Matoro doubled his speed and took off. He jumped in and out of the tunnel like a Razor Whale breaking the surface of the water for air, but still did not find his friends. 

Eventually, he slowed to get his bearings. 

He glanced around the tunnel that he now found himself in. The cavern was only slightly larger than the rest of the cord. He cleared his thoughts as he listened as closely as he could for any sign of his friends. 

As an intangible ghost, Matoro had no physical auditory receptors and thus and no real means of hearing. He was not entirely sure how it worked, but he was still able to hear despite this. It wasn’t sound that he could hear, but telepathic waves that seemed to be projected directly into his head. He didn’t have to worry about the sound of his own breathing getting in the way of his listening, but a racing mind would do nothing but distract him. He focused his thoughts on all corners of the tunnel, tuning out the sounds of the water outside and the scraping of the pebbles around him. Bits of his spirit projected to every corner of the tunnel, listening for any sign of his allies. 

_There!_ he thought. He could sense some extremely faint voices up ahead. Suddenly feeling a surge of hope in his intangible chest, he soared forward to reunite with his friends. 

\----

The being residing within Matoro’s body had not uttered a word in some time. In fact, nobody had. All six Toa marched ahead in complete silence, led by Jaller. A heavy, stagnant air hung over all of them. Now that Hewkii and Nuparu had been filled in on the situation, all five were thoroughly unnerved by the mysterious, dark figure that possessed Matoro’s body. The other four Toa expectantly awaited Jaller’s move. 

Finally, after what seemed like eons, Jaller stopped short. As if on cue, everyone ground to a halt behind him. Jaller continued to stare ahead of him, facing away from Matoro, as he spoke. 

“Hey, Matoro?” Jaller asked. “When you took the Mask of Life from Vezon earlier, how did that feel?”

“How did it feel?” repeated Matoro. “It was strange. It felt… alive. Almost like how our masks are now. Not organic, but I could feel the life force in it.”

All the other Toa seemed taken aback, but Kongu and Jaller exchanged a knowing glance. This did not go unnoticed by the false Matoro. He could tell that the Toa were catching on. 

_Slow on the uptake, as usual,_ the being thought. _I had expected more of Jaller and his team. Then again, they are only Toa._

“What of these Barraki you spoke of?” Jaller asked. “Better to be prepared. Do they have any weaknesses? Anything we should know before we take them on in battle?”

Matoro smiled. “Of course, I only know what I heard from them. They’re fighting. We can use that to our advantage to seize the mask out of their pathetic claws. The Barraki were always the untrusting types. They will tear each other to shreds if they suspect that one of the others has the mask. That’s where their weakness lies.”

Jaller narrowed his eyes. Covertly, he signalled at Hewkii and Nuparu, who were standing behind Matoro. Confused, but willing to trust the instincts of their leader, they assumed a battle stance. Hewkii’s metallic fingers wrapped around the hilt of his laser axe, but he did not draw it. Not yet. 

“You know, Matoro,” Jaller began, finally turning around, “ever since you woke up, something seemed off about you. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. But now it all makes sense. That malicious presence Hahli sensed and why it suddenly disappeared, how you know so much, and most importantly, why you’ve been acting so weird. I thought maybe you were just rattled from what you saw down below. But there’s no way. You weren’t gone long enough for you to see all that. If you were the real Matoro, you wouldn’t have this much information for us. If you were the real Matoro, you would have known that Matoro had no idea that the Mask of Life has a life force; only Kongu and I knew that. In fact, the real Matoro even told us that he couldn’t sense it. But most importantly, if you were the real Matoro, you would know that unity is the virtue that Matoro values the most. That’s how I know you aren’t actually Matoro. There’s someone else in there, isn’t there… Makuta!”

Jaller’s final word seemed to ring in the ears of all the assembled Toa as the grin slid off of Matoro’s face. All of them had memories of Makuta that were quite the opposite of fond. For one thousand years, and even before then, Makuta continually terrorized them with his infected Rahi, Bohrok swarm, and Rahkshi. But it was not his name alone that struck fear into them. 

“Makuta…?” Nuparu uttered in disbelief. 

“But… you’re dead!” Hahli cried. “I saw it! Takanuva defeated you, and you were crushed beneath the stone door! Your armor was shattered!”

The false Matoro chuckled. “A simple stone door, defeating a Makuta? Think again, Hahli. Takanuva could not end me, and neither could a stone door. I am intangible, Toa. I am in the very air you breathe. I have been with you for longer than you know.”

“So it was you who sent the Piraka,” Kongu said, unlimbering his laser crossbow. “Your energy was what they were putting into the weapon-spheres.”

“I never expected those fools to get so close to the mask, I’ll admit,” Makuta told them, “but even if they had gotten it, they would have been dealt with by yours truly. As much as it disgusts me to say, I am on your side this time.”

Energy began to crackle around Kongu’s laser crossbow, illuminating his mask in the dancing light. “If I quick-fire this crossbow, you won’t be on anyone’s side ever again.”

“Kongu, you’ve already used that line,” Jaller told him calmly, gesturing for him to lower his weapon. Reluctantly, Kongu forced the energy dancing around his weapon to dissipate. All eyes were now focused on Jaller, and Jaller alone. 

The Toa of Fire now addressed the Makuta inhabiting the body of his teammate and friend, Matoro. “I know that Matoro can’t get back into his body if you’re in there. If you truly wanted to help us, would you not want us at our full strength? Would there not have been a simpler way?”

In reply, Makuta simply chuckled jeeringly. “Jaller, do you not know me? I thought we were friends. This is simply how I operate.”

Kongu rolled his eyes. 

The voice coming from in front of them belonged to Matoro, but they could tell there was a certain malice behind it that was not present when the real Matoro was there. The real Matoro was a healing influence on the party, a kind and brave Toa who wished no ill unto anyone. That Makuta was inhabiting his body was nothing but stomping all over everything that the Toa of Ice stood for. 

The thought angered Jaller. 

Many Toa of Fire are stereotyped as being hot headed and anger-prone, but Jaller was determined to be different. He knew he had to keep a level head, even if Makuta was inflicting the highest form of disrespect unto his fellow Toa. 

Repressing his building rage, Jaller clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword, but did not draw it. Choosing to ignore Makuta’s snide remark, he continued. He raised his voice, trying to sound as authoritative and commanding as he possibly could.

“We will never aid you, Makuta, even if you claim to be on our side. Leave Matoro’s body now, and we will allow you to escape this place in one piece.”

A dark energy began to dance in Matoro’s hands, conjured by Makuta, dancing like flames of shadow. 

“How very bold you, Jaller,” taunted Makuta, “to assume that I would leave without a fight.”


	7. Chapter 7

The spirit of Toa Inika Matoro seemed to have stumbled into a warzone. 

As he traversed the tunnel towards the sound of his friends, he could tell with increasing certainty that there was some sort of fight going on ahead. He cursed his own stupidity for leaving his team at such a crucial moment. No doubt they were pinned down trying to protect his body whilst fighting with a fraction of their power depleted. They could very well be fighting on their last legs. A sense of anxiety bubbling up in his stomach, he doubled his speed and shot ahead. 

What he did not expect, however, was to find that he was the one his fellow Toa were battling against. 

\----

Jaller rolled beneath what would have been a crippling blast of shadow and hurled a bolt of flame at Makuta. The bolt hit it’s target with pinpoint accuracy, but Makuta simply shrugged it off like a fly had flown into his mask. 

The Toa of Fire cursed under his breath as he activated his Kanohi Calix, the Mask of Fate, to contort his body into a dodge to escape a blast of chain lightning unleashed by Makuta. Of course flames and electricity wouldn’t affect him, Makuta wasn’t actually a Toa of Ice. He may have been inhabiting the body of the Toa of Ice, but he did not possess any of the elemental powers that came along with it. Not that he would have needed them, as Makuta already commanded more powers on his own than Jaller could count on both hands. Heat resistance was among the many powers he had at his disposal.

Hewkii dove and rolled next to the Toa of Fire, falling to one knee to aim his laser axe at it’s target. Through the use of his mask, the Kanohi Sanok, Mask of Accuracy, his blast hit it’s target with pinpoint precision. 

“Don’t you think he’s going a little easy on us?” Hewkii asked Jaller, already preparing to dive out of the way of Makuta’s counter attack. 

Hewkii was right. Makuta possessed such a wide array of devastating powers, but their adversary was barely using any of them. Was he feeling rusty from having not fought for some time? Perhaps it was in fear of bringing the stone cord crumbling down in its entirety? After all, that would not only spell their doom, but Makuta’s as well. 

That was when the revelation hit Jaller.

“Of course!” Jaller excitedly told Hewkii. “He’s trying to help us, remember?”

Jaller erected a wall of flame laced with lightning between the two of them, as well as Nuparu, and Makuta, leaving Hahli and Kongu to hold him off for the moment. 

“Nuparu!” Jaller hurriedly said. Although taken aback by the sudden inferno surrounding them, the two Toa quickly snapped out of it and turned to Jaller. 

“How many powers does a Makuta have?” Jaller asked. 

The Toa of Earth furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh, forty two I think? Something like that.”

Jaller now turned to face Hewkii. “And how many powers has he actually used against us so far?”

Hewkii shrugged. “I dunno, I wasn’t counting.”

“Not a whole lot, though,” Nuparu pointed out. 

Jaller nodded in agreement. “Exactly. If he was using all of his power, we’d already be dead. He’s going easy on us.”

“Is it because he doesn’t want to knock the walls down?” Hewkii wondered aloud, glancing at the walls of the cavern. “The stone is pretty brittle here. One hit in the wrong place and the stones will crack, letting in all that terrible water outside. And trust me, I’m a Toa of Stone. I know rock.”

“Maybe,” Jaller replied with a nod, “but he must know that our powerful Toa of Stone could regenerate the wall with no issue. I don’t think that’s why he’s holding back.”

Hewkii frowned, as he could think of many issues he would face if he had to do that. Rocks had to be structured in a very specific and precise way in order to be able to hold weight, which was not something he was sure he could figure out in the heat of battle. And he’s a Toa of Stone. He knows rock. 

Nuparu blinked as the revelation dawned on him. “He can’t hurt us. He said he needs us to succeed. We can’t do that if he kills us. If what he says is true, this is all an act.”

Jaller nodded with a wide grin. “Exactly. So, if we let our guards down-”

“He’ll stop attacking us!” Hewkii finished. 

“Wait, is this really a good idea?” Nuparu asked. “This  _ is  _ Makuta we’re talking about here. What if he was lying? What if he doesn’t actually need us to succeed, and he just kills us the moment we let our guards down?”

“Makuta obviously needs Mata Nui alive in order for his plan to succeed,” Jaller retorted. “After all, there won’t be a universe left for him to rule if Mata Nui dies. If he kills us, who will be left to save Mata Nui’s life?”

“Makuta would never do it himself,” Hewkii added. “He’s not the type to get his claws dirty.”

Seeing he was outnumbered, Nuparu had no choice but to concede. 

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “I just hope I don’t have to tell you that I told you so.”

Despite the situation, Hewkii chuckled. “We’d be long dead before you got that chance, brother.”

\----

Soon, Hahli and Kongu had been filled in on the plan. Hahli could sense Matoro’s spirit nearby, so the time to drive Makuta out was now. If Makuta left for a second, even a fraction of a second, Matoro could slip back in. This was their chance. 

In Matoro’s body, Makuta stood in the center of the cavern, grinning as he hurled blasts of shadow, lightning, and fear at his adversaries. Jaller only narrowly avoided a blast of pure fear, and shuddered as he remembered the last time he was struck by that power. 

Gradually, the fighting slowed. Makuta did not show any signs of having noticed. Slowly, the Toa began fighting back less and less, until finally, they stood stalk still. Confused, Makuta lowered his offensive stance. 

_ They’re testing me, aren’t they?  _ he thought.

To test his theory, he hurled a weak blast of shadow directly at Jaller’s chest. The Toa made no move to defend himself as the blast hit home and knocked the breath out of his lungs. Still, the Toa did not move. One by one, they threw their weapons onto the ground and stood facing Makuta with determination. As one, they stood their ground. 

Makuta’s eyes slowly moved between all five Toa before him. One by one, he gazed into their eyes. None of them showed any signs of letting up, and none of them seemed to have any tricks up their sleeve. 

_ It would seem I was wrong,  _ Makuta thought.  _ Perhaps I underestimated them.  _

“So, you’ve seen through my game,” Makuta snarled. Oddly enough, there was a hint of pride in his voice. 

“Of course we have,” retorted Jaller. “We don’t stand a chance against you fighting head to head. But you need us alive, and you need us to win. You can’t touch us, or your plan fails.”

Much to everyone’s distaste, Makuta’s grin only grew wider. 

The assembled Toa could almost hear the hiss in Makuta’s voice as he spoke, raising his arms. “Good! Perhaps you six have what it takes to save Mata Nui after all. Very well. I shall allow Matoro to return to his body.”

Jaller blinked. That was far easier than he had expected it to be. He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason Makuta’s praise actually made him feel good. Their greatest and most powerful enemy had acknowledged them. And for better or for worse, he had faith in them. To anyone who didn’t know him, Makuta would have seemed proud. The Toa, of course, knew better. 

“Be gone, Makuta!” Hahli growled. “If we never encounter you again, it shall be too soon.”

“You flatter me, Hahli,” Makuta replied. “But unfortunately for you, we shall meet again very soon. Mark my words.”

With that, Matoro’s body collapsed to the ground once more. The life force seemed to be sucked out of it. For a fleeting moment, Jaller could have sworn he saw a wisp of green smoke drifting away into the depths of the black water, but he was immediately distracted. Immediately after Makuta had left Matoro’s body, the Toa’s eyes flickered to life once more. Gone was the malice in his eyes and shadowy smile etched across his mask, replaced with a genuine, kind-hearted gaze. A very confused, kind-hearted gaze. 

Matoro sat up, rubbing his head, and glanced around at his fellow Toa. It was over, and he was finally back in his own body. 

“What happened?” he asked nobody in particular. “Why was Makuta in my body?”

Kongu shook his head. “Your guess is as good as ours, brother.”

“We’re just glad to have you back, Matoro,” Hahli told him, extending a hand to help Matoro to his feet. 

“Oww,” Matoro groaned as he climbed to his feet. “Next time my body is being possessed, mind not hitting it too hard? I’m the one who has to feel the pain once I come back.”

Hewkii chuckled. “My fault, sorry about that.”

“Can you keep moving forward?” asked Jaller. “Or would you rather rest?”

“I can keep going,” Matoro replied, glancing at Hahli. “After all, we’re going to get there one way or another. No point in delaying the inevitable.”

“That’s the spirit!” Nuparu replied with a powerful pat on the back that knocked the wind out of Matoro’s lungs. 

“I’m just glad all that’s over,” Matoro continued. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so reckless with my mask power in the future.”   
Jaller nodded in agreement. “Definitely. And frankly, I think our troubles are just beginning.”

“You’ve got that right!” cried Hahli. The other five Toa wheeled to face her. 

“What’s wrong?” Hewkii asked frantically. “What do you sense?”

Kongu reached ahead with his mask power, trying to read the minds of whatever was coming. The moment he made contact, he needed to hear no more. There was no doubt about what they were. 

“Zyglak!” he warned. 

“So Makuta was telling the truth after all,” Matoro said, unlimbering his sword. 

“Color me surprised,” Kongu muttered, drawing his laser crossbow as well. 

“This is it, team!” Jaller announced, assuming a battle position. “Once we start this fight, it’s gonna be full steam ahead for us until we save Mata Nui. Is everyone ready?”

As one, everyone in the group affirmed that they were prepared for what lay ahead. Against their first enemy, their last enemy, and taking on this entire mission, they stood as one. 

Jaller narrowed his eyes and drew his weapon, already anticipating what would come to be their most important mission yet. A determined grin spread across his face. 

“Let’s do it!”


End file.
